These pronouns are used with reflexive verbs, of which there are many more in Italian than there are in English. Verbs that are reflexive in both languages include divertirsi (to enjoy, amuse oneself), lavarsi (to wash oneself), vestirsi (to dress oneself).

As you can see, when using the passato prossimo of a reflexive verb, you must use the auxiliary verb essere (this is explained more in the Verbs section).

However, there are some verbs that are reflexive in Italian but are either transitive or intransitive in English, such as sentirsi (to feel), svegliarsi (to wake up, awake), alzarsi (to rise, get up, stand up).

Mi sento molto stanco I feel very tiredVi alzate alle sette ogni mattina You get up at seven o’clock every morningCi siamo svegliati alle sette We woke up at seven o’clock

There are also a number of reflexive verbs in Italian that correspond to English verbs that use to get plus the past participle or adjective. Examples of these are spaventarsi (to get scared), perdersi (to get lost), arrabbiarsi (to get angry).

Mi arrabbio tantissimo quando penso di come alcune persone trattano gli animali
I get very angry when I think of how some people treat animals